I just recently found this thread and I have to say that it's pretty disappointing to find only two-ish Power Metal albums: Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle Earth, Iced Earth's Something Wicked This Way Comes (counts as half), and Children of Bodom's Hatebreeder (counts as the other half). Where's Helloween? Gamma Ray? Stratovarius? Either I'm not seeing more between all this death and thrash, or there's a bias toward the extreme half of metal. Now, I understand that Black, Death, and Groove made a lot of innovative and important records; I'm not saying any of those don't belong here. I just think (or perhaps want to think) that Power Metal had a bigger impact in the 90s than what's been represented so far.

I just recently found this thread and I have to say that it's pretty disappointing to find only two-ish Power Metal albums: Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle Earth, Iced Earth's Something Wicked This Way Comes (counts as half), and Children of Bodom's Hatebreeder (counts as the other half). Where's Helloween? Gamma Ray? Stratovarius? Either I'm not seeing more between all this death and thrash, or there's a bias toward the extreme half of metal. Now, I understand that Black, Death, and Groove made a lot of innovative and important records; I'm not saying any of those don't belong here. I just think (or perhaps want to think) that Power Metal had a bigger impact in the 90s than what's been represented so far.

I have to agree on that. Power Metal was great throughout the 90's. However, I would think that those guys are having trouble deciding which albums really were the most important ones. It's hard to tell with some bands. Personally though, I would probably add either Land of the Free or Somewhere Out in Space by Gamma Ray to that list. Anyway, I'm pretty sure we'll get to see a Stratovarius record somwhere in the final 20's. You can't create a list called "The Most Essential Albums of the 1990's" and not ad either Episode or Visions.

Thx for your comments and yah now that you metion it theres is only 3 power metal or power metal-ish bands. I havent listend to alot of power metal (in fact only BG and IE) but hopefully they'll add one more power metal band i can obsess over

Given that Power Metal really exploded in the nineties, it'd be hard to really narrow it down. Still, here's a few picks by band that I would choose:

Helloween - Master of the Rings (though I speculate that Time of the Oath might be the fan favorite here)
Stratovarius - Visions (as much as I prefer Episode, it's not a perfect album like Visions is, and again, fan favorite)
HammerFall - Legacy of Kings (Still HammerFall's best)
Kamelot - Fourth Legacy (the first with Khan as a major writing force)
Sonata Arctica - Eclipitca (Pure Power Metal perfection)
Edguy - Theater of Salvation (Probably their most straight-forward Power Metal album)

There's others, I'm sure, from the likes of Gamma Ray, Angra, Rhapsody (of Fire), Primal Fear, or Symphony X, I'm just not that familiar with their albums (I know, I should). I'm sure I've missed other bands as well, but that's what I've got.

It just bugs me that Power Metal is somehow disregarded in these kinds of things.

So no Stratovarius at all, which leaves us at 2 and a half power metal albums out of 100. Well, it looks like they were kind of biased towards the extreme side, which would be okay in other top lists. But when you try to create an more objective list called "most essential" as opposed to "best" or "most important" albums, you simply have to include more power. You can't capture the essence of a decade by almost ignoring one of the biggest developments of it. Gamma Ray and Stratovarius should have made it in there, I think. Well, enough b*tching. Aside from the whole power metal issue, it was a pretty good list, I have to admit.

Very entertaining. I know of most of those albums, but I must admit I haven't actually listened to half of them or so. I'm not all that interested in some of the thrash and stuff, but I may take it upon me to at least briefly skim every album I don't know.

I'm happy they included Solstice and Paradise Lost in the addendum (not posted here). Personally I'm missing Earth, Acid Bath, Anathema, maybe Nightwish (though I've been over them for years). And yeah, some power metal.

Part 10
For those who fallowed this list as I (and other members of this site) posted this al I have to say is....
LET THE BITCHING BEGIN!!!!!! (ding).

DAAAAAAARGGHA-BLARGA-BLARGA-BLARGA-BLARGA-BLAAARRRRGGGGGGG!!!!

Well, this was pretty disappointing. NONE of the albums I mentioned ended up on the list. While I'm not going to say there's anything wrong with personal tastes and stuff, but European Power Metal exploded in the nineties. To not at least recognize their major contribution beyond Blind Guardian just frustrates me a little.

I would argue that Nightwish really didn't come unto their own until Century Child and Wishmaster which were after 1999. Sure, they had Oceanborn, but I don't think that it's a good representative for Nightwish's sound. I know that album has its fans (and I like it myself), but I think Nightwish is more 2000s than 90s.

I would argue that Nightwish really didn't come unto their own until Century Child and Wishmaster which were after 1999. Sure, they had Oceanborn, but I don't think that it's a good representative for Nightwish's sound. I know that album has its fans (and I like it myself), but I think Nightwish is more 2000s than 90s.

As a whole, the band may be more of a 00s phenomeon. However, as a trendsetter and in terms of originality (as well as quality IMO, but we don't have to go there) Oceanborn is the essential Nightwish album. Wishmaster is derivative of that sound, and what came after is hardly worth a mention on any "albums of the decade" lists. That said, I said "maybe" because it's true Nightwish didn't exactly spawn many imitators. They may have helped popularize would-be classical vocals in metal, but their style of mixing it with straightforward power metal never really kicked off the way similar vocals in symphonic gothic metal did, for example. I can't really name any Nightwish-copycats, off the top of my head.

Very entertaining. I know of most of those albums, but I must admit I haven't actually listened to half of them or so. I'm not all that interested in some of the thrash and stuff, but I may take it upon me to at least briefly skim every album I don't know.

I'm happy they included Solstice and Paradise Lost in the addendum (not posted here). Personally I'm missing Earth, Acid Bath, Anathema, maybe Nightwish (though I've been over them for years). And yeah, some power metal.

I usually skim through about 1-3 of the songs on each album they show that i havent listened too (and that would be ALOT) of them.
Also i found that people have been adding that like you said Earth, Acid Bath should have been included....but each to their own and gives us metalheads more room on the internet to argu- er i meen "discuss" which is the best albums or not

As a whole, the band may be more of a 00s phenomeon. However, as a trendsetter and in terms of originality (as well as quality IMO, but we don't have to go there) Oceanborn is the essential Nightwish album. Wishmaster is derivative of that sound, and what came after is hardly worth a mention on any "albums of the decade" lists. That said, I said "maybe" because it's true Nightwish didn't exactly spawn many imitators. They may have helped popularize would-be classical vocals in metal, but their style of mixing it with straightforward power metal never really kicked off the way similar vocals in symphonic gothic metal did, for example. I can't really name any Nightwish-copycats, off the top of my head.

I guess I look at Nightwish backwards. Once was my first Nightwish album and I was so blown away at the time. You see, I had just started getting into metal (stating with HammerFall) and Once was the album that made me a metalhead (weird, I know, shut up). So I guess Once is my frame of reference for all of Nightwish.

As for Nightwish copycats, I thought of Epica and Amberian Dawn. Metal Archives also has Within Temptation, After Forever, Visions of Atlantis, Edenbridge, Delain, Leaves' Eyes, and Sirenia. The Metal Storm page adds Kamelot. I know many of those are more gothic than power, but Nightwish has always had a gothic style to them, especially with Dark Passion Play. (Kamelot got pretty gothic as well with Ghost Opera and Poetry for the Poisoned.) I don't know if they're really copycats, but they all started recording after Nightwish did.

As a whole, the band may be more of a 00s phenomeon. However, as a trendsetter and in terms of originality (as well as quality IMO, but we don't have to go there) Oceanborn is the essential Nightwish album. Wishmaster is derivative of that sound, and what came after is hardly worth a mention on any "albums of the decade" lists. That said, I said "maybe" because it's true Nightwish didn't exactly spawn many imitators. They may have helped popularize would-be classical vocals in metal, but their style of mixing it with straightforward power metal never really kicked off the way similar vocals in symphonic gothic metal did, for example. I can't really name any Nightwish-copycats, off the top of my head.

I guess I look at Nightwish backwards. Once was my first Nightwish album and I was so blown away at the time. You see, I had just started getting into metal (stating with HammerFall) and Once was the album that made me a metalhead (weird, I know, shut up). So I guess Once is my frame of reference for all of Nightwish.

As for Nightwish copycats, I thought of Epica and Amberian Dawn. Metal Archives also has Within Temptation, After Forever, Visions of Atlantis, Edenbridge, Delain, Leaves' Eyes, and Sirenia. The Metal Storm page adds Kamelot. I know many of those are more gothic than power, but Nightwish has always had a gothic style to them, especially with Dark Passion Play. (Kamelot got pretty gothic as well with Ghost Opera and Poetry for the Poisoned.) I don't know if they're really copycats, but they all started recording after Nightwish did.

Within Temption, After Forever, Epica have not been influenced by Nightwish. All three were mainly influenced by Orphanage and The Gathering. Who both used the beauty and beaast vocals way ealrier. Musically Nightwish especially on their earlier albums are purely power metal whereas the three I mentioned are not. Delian of course started of as a project by people closely related to WT, AF and After Forever. Tomas only guested on that and really didn't have too much to do with it.

----Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

Within Temption, After Forever, Epica have not been influenced by Nightwish. All three were mainly influenced by Orphanage and The Gathering. Who both used the beauty and beaast vocals way ealrier. Musically Nightwish especially on their earlier albums are purely power metal whereas the three I mentioned are not. Delian of course started of as a project by people closely related to WT, AF and After Forever. Tomas only guested on that and really didn't have too much to do with it.

Like I said, Metal Archives has them listed as similar. However, we do know that Epica was also inspired by Kamelot.
Anyways, I'd be curious to know if you think that Amberian Dawn is a copycat band because they are DEFINITELY power metal.

Within Temption, After Forever, Epica have not been influenced by Nightwish. All three were mainly influenced by Orphanage and The Gathering. Who both used the beauty and beaast vocals way ealrier. Musically Nightwish especially on their earlier albums are purely power metal whereas the three I mentioned are not. Delian of course started of as a project by people closely related to WT, AF and After Forever. Tomas only guested on that and really didn't have too much to do with it.

Like I said, Metal Archives has them listed as similar. However, we do know that Epica was also inspired by Kamelot.
Anyways, I'd be curious to know if you think that Amberian Dawn is a copycat band because they are DEFINITELY power metal.

I never heard Amberian Dawn so I can't judge.
As for epica they are only influenced by Kamelot in their name. Musically it is nothing alike. And Mark Jansen of course started Epica when he left AFter Forever where he was the main composer as well.

----Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996